Heart Trouble
by kdip4014
Summary: Fifteen years have passed. Liam Robbins-Torres is admitted to Seattle Grace - Mercy West Hospital after collapsing during a baseball game. Part 7 in the Muddy Buddy world.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: It's fifteen years later. Liam is admitted to Seattle Grace-Mercy West hospital after collapsing during a baseball game.

Disclaimer: All television shows, books, movies, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

Okay folks, given that 15 years have passed, there are bound to be a few extra characters around, so here's the list of everyone and a quick rundown of what they've been up to. Also, realize that this story was written over the summer, so anything that has happened this season, likely won't happen in this story like Christina and Owen's wedding and the Gasman leaving.

Oh yeah, and there's going to be a minor change in postings from now on. Unfortunately (or fortunate for me), I will no longer be living in the United States soon. I'm waiting on a final acceptance into the Peace Corps and will likely be leaving in March for Central Asia. Chances are, I won't have the greatest – if any – internet connection. And I want to get the whole series up before I leave, so postings will now be occurring twice a week.

Callie and Arizona

- Married 16 years

- Still department heads, planning on retiring when the twins leave for college

- Liam (15) – baseball phenomenon, dating Lauren Sloan

- Carter (15) – soccer phenomenon

- Michael – 20 – they adopted him when he was 10 and the twins were five. Attends the USNA, 2nd class midshipman (Junior year)

Derek and Meredith (neuro department head)

- Married 17 years

- Married for real the day before Derek went back to work after being shot

- He stays at home fishing, occasionally comes in for lecture day and the odd surgery

- George – 13

- Ellis – 11 – wants to go to medical school, but study genetic research

Christina and Owen

- Married 11 years

- She's head of Cardio

- He's an occasional trauma attending, mostly a stay at home dad so Christina can be a Cardio Goddess

- David (10) – wants to play baseball, idolizes Liam

- Steven (10) – a bit of a follower, but loves to write

- On maternity leave, due with twin girls, Josephine (Jo) and Samantha (Sam)

Mark and Lexie

- Married 13 years

- He's back to being an attending, with five girls at home and a wife that's an attending, he handed over the department reigns to a new head

- She's a pediatric plastics attending

- Lauren 14 – the flirty one – her father's daughter, dating Liam Robbins-Torres

- Brook 12 – the girly one – pink room, wants the million dollar Cinderella wedding

- Carolyn 9 – the tomboy

- Sophia 5 – the future surgeon

- Madelyn 2 – Mark is hoping with all hope that Maddie is super low key and a future financial genius

Teddy

- She stepped down from the head of the department when she turned 53 so she didn't have the paperwork anymore

- Married for 10 years

- Married to John Weatherly – a former EOD army officer that she performed a double bypass on ten years earlier. They knew each other from when she was in the service because she patched him up at some point. He's a professor at the military college, he does teaching via video chats

- Eileen – 16 - his daughter, Teddy adopted her. wants to go to Julliard for music, plays the piano

Alex and April

- Married for 13 years

- He's a peds attending

- She's in psych

- She broke her hand and lost too much function to continue to operate

- Alex Jr – 10

- James – 8

- Ella – 4

Jackson and Emily Anne Walker

- He's an ortho attending, being groomed to take over for Callie one day

- Engaged to a first year attending in general. She decided later in life than usual to be a doctor, only a few years younger than him

Bailey and Ben

- Bailey is now the Chief of Surgery

- Ben is head of anesthesia

- Tuck – 18 – Goes to the New England Conservatory plays the violin

- Bailey – 2 – conceived the night Bailey made chief, surprise baby

Aria and Jesse

- Married 14 years

- Makers of tiny humans

- Jesse was made LT, he now runs the CSI lab

- Aria has a successful party planning business, but brought her mother on as a partner when Jade was born

- Jesse, Jr. – 14 – conceived the night Liam and Carter were born

- Elisa – 12 – on the middle school debate team, wants to be a lawyer

- Jade – 10 – endorphin chaser, loves surfing and skateboarding and water skiing and wakeboarding, etc.

- Nina – 7 – loves movies, wants to live in Hollywood and write/direct

- Rosa – 3 – the princess

- Carlos Juan – 1

Erin and Jamie

- Married 22 years

- She's a peds attending, being groomed to take over the department

- He got his Ph.D. in history and now teaches at UW and coaches the football team

- Andy – 16

- Kate – 12

- William – 9

Daniel and Kerry

- He's fully retired, she drags him around the world to places where she can actually enjoy the scenery and not because he was stationed there

- They bought a boat and sail around the world together

- But they still have the house in Monterey, they just rent it out short term for marines and their families going to school there until they can find a permanent place

Carlos and Andromeda

- He has ALS and handed managing control of the business over to Roberto (William died of a heart attack)

- Andromeda is his primary care giver, she took nursing classes just to take better care of him

Mac and Matty

- Married 12 years

- He teaches Naval history at the USNA, she teaches UCMJ and Maritime Law

- Charles Daniel – 10

- Matthew Lee – 4

- Lea Michelle – due in 4 months

Addison

- Moved to Seattle right after Christina got pregnant the first time

- Married to Sam Bennett 12 years

- Adopted a little girl, had a boy herself

- Adelaide – 9 – affectionately called AJ cause everyone starting calling her Addy, which got confusing and became AJ (Addy junior)

- Sam, Jr – 8 – loves to read


	2. Chapter 2

Summary: It's fifteen years later. Liam is admitted to Seattle Grace-Mercy West after collapsing during a baseball game.

Disclaimer: All television shows, books, movies, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

* * *

"You're late," Callie grins at her former roommate as she takes a seat next to her on the bleachers at the local high school baseball diamond.

"Sorry, lost track of time."

"Must be nice, my husband stopped distracting me like that 6 weeks ago. Do you have _any_ idea what it's like to be pregnant with twins and have your husband withhold sex, citing it's too dangerous? Of course you don't, you and Roller Girl went at it like bunnies from the first." Callie laughs heartily, waving at her son on the pitcher's mound when he looks up at the sound.

"Actually I do – well, not the husband part at least – the last time Arizona and I 'went at it' when I was pregnant was a few hours before I went into labor, but before that it had been almost a month." She pats Christina reassuringly on the knee. "Don't worry, it'll all be over before you know it, and it'll all be totally worth it."

"Yeah, yeah."

Despite her grumbling, Callie can tell that Christina is really excited about her pregnancy. The first one, eleven years previous had been a total shock, more so when they found out that their OB had misread the ultrasound and Christina had delivered a second boy just minutes after the first. That trend had followed throughout the boys' lives, with Steven always hiding behind his twin brother, doing things just a few minutes after him. The adults all claim it's because Steven wants to make certain that he won't get into trouble for their actions, which seems odd, because even if David does get into trouble, Steven will often do it anyways, if only to split the blame for his brother. This time around they know for a fact that they're having two girls, a fact Owen is ecstatic about, Christina also, despite how much she'll state otherwise.

Looking around, Callie spots Steven and David Hunt just behind the home team dugout, playing catch – David a bit more enthusiastically than his brother. Callie easily recognizes the glove the young boy is using. For the longest time, Liam had refused to get a new glove, merely stitching up his old one with dental floss and fishing wire. When he had made the Varsity team as a freshman, he'd recognized that he'd finally need to retire his original glove and get a new one. Much to David's delight, Liam gave the young boy his old glove and the younger child never went anywhere without it.

Farther down the first base line, Carter stood with Lauren Sloan, Eileen Weatherly and Andy Robbins-Conway. Carter is bouncing her soccer ball around on her knees, ignoring the ranting of her friends. She still sports the mud-stained, blue and silver uniform from her own game that morning. Rather than sticking around for the boys' soccer game that followed hers, she headed down to the baseball diamond to watch her brother, returning the favor as he'd watched her game, skipping out on the team's usual pregame rituals for his own.

Eileen Weatherly, the 16-year-old stepdaughter of Teddy Altman, is listening to her ipod, bouncing her head along to the beat. Anyone that knows her knows that she's listening to her own recordings, not in vanity, but for improvement. She'd found out the previous day that she'd been accepted into Julliard's summer music program for high school students and had been practicing nonstop in preparation.

Lauren Sloan looks like she would rather be anywhere else but spending her Saturday at school, but she's always been the supportive Sloan, and she knows that the college scouts in the bleachers are not only watching the seniors, but also her boyfriend, Liam, who is only a sophomore and the starting pitcher, thanks to the usual starter hyper-extending his shoulder during spring break.

Andy Robbins-Conway looks like he would fit in better in a college lecture rather than at a high school baseball game. The oldest child of Jamie and Erin Conway had decided in childhood that he wanted to follow his father, Uncle Daniel and Cousin Michael into the Naval Academy and had striven to give the appearance and play the part of a future midshipman from that moment on. Always he wore crisply pressed khakis and freshly starched polos or long-sleeved button-downs with the collar lying flat over a sweater or sweater vest. His closet and drawers were always immaculate, with his clothes folded or hanging precisely the same way and color-coded. His schedule for maintaining the neatness was set in stone, and he had more than once been unofficially diagnosed with OCD. Those that knew him knew otherwise, for he was a total slob at heart.

With all of the kids accounted for, Callie settles in to watch the game, looking around at the crowd. She waves to a few of the parents, noticing that many of them are surreptitiously observing a few of the spectators. She's quick to spot the men and women wearing college jackets and picks out the scouts from Yale, Harvard, Notre Dame and Stanford. She doesn't see anyone from a service academy and is once again thankful that they don't have sports recruiters. Knowing that her son wants to play baseball in college is the only thing keeping him from applying to a military academy, though she knows he'd be able to make any team, whether he was asked to play or if he had to try out.

Liam is called in to the coach and the two have a short conversation before Liam heads back out to the mound, trying his hardest to keep a smile off his face, though failing, and allowing a tiny grin to grace his features, showing off his dimples. Callie knows that he's been informed that he'll be playing the entire game; having treated the other pitcher the previous week she knows that he won't be playing for most – if not all – of the rest of the season. She knows there's another pitcher waiting in the wings, but she also knows that the third-string pitcher isn't really ready – he could play, but he wouldn't be a guaranteed game winner.

Cheering her son on as he throws a couple warm-up pitches, Callie starts to worry; she notices that he's not throwing as strong as he tends to. Moments later, he's seen massaging his chest and Christina is on her feet and heading out onto the field – moving with surprising speed for a woman that's 8 months pregnant with twins – before Liam hits the dirt.

While Christina moves out onto the field, Callie calls Carter and the kids over, corralling Steven and David while Carter calls for an ambulance. The children have all been around the hospital long enough to know the direct line for the ambulances and how to bypass the 911 center.

Minutes later, EMTs are arriving on the scene and Christina is running through Liam's vitals while Andy holds Callie back and out of the way. Eventually Callie gets into the ambulance while Christina takes her friends keys and herds the kids out to the cars, allowing Andy to take Callie's car while the rest of the older kids pile into Eileen's car for the trip to the hospital.

* * *

"Hey, what are you doing here? I thought Liam and Carter had games today." Teddy approaches Arizona in the ambulance bay.

"They do, but I've taken too many Saturdays off lately with all the tournaments this year. Calliope is at the games though. What have we got coming?"

"I suppose we're about to find out, the call didn't go through the hospital emergency board, so we don't have any details." Teddy rushes forward to greet the ambulance, stopping short when Callie leads the EMTs out of the vehicle.

"Calliope," Arizona looks past her to the body on the stretcher the EMTs are leading into the ER. "Liam. What happened?" She rushes forward to check on her son.

"He collapsed during warm-ups."

"There's something funky going on with his heartbeat, but for anything more technical, you'll need to get a cardiologist down here." The young EMT comments after his colleague spout off Liam's stats, handing over the paperwork.

"That's where I come in," Teddy steps in. "And for future reference, kid, I suggest you not use adjectives like 'funky' when describing a kids' heart function to their surgeon parents."

"Right," the young man has the decency to look embarrassed while shooting an apologetic grin to Callie and Arizona before heading back out with his team.

"I swear those kids get younger and younger every day." Teddy comments before heading into the trauma bay, shouting out tests for an intern to get a spot in line for Liam along the way.

* * *

"So, what's the verdict?" Carter attacks Teddy as she approaches her brother's room, reaching for the chart that Teddy quickly holds out of her reach.

"Inside," Teddy leads her into the room that is already packed to capacity. Over the years, the hospital has grown accustomed to seeing the children of its surgeons in the building as patients and long ago threw out the 'two person per hour' rule. Arizona called Alex in to take her place as the pediatric attending on the case with Erin to supervise him – not that he needs the supervision – and he's constantly watching Liam's stats, while Christina is on hand to keep an eye on his heart functions. While she wanted nothing more than a case to come in on to get her off of maternity leave, it's obvious that these circumstances are not the ones that she wanted.

"So, unfortunately there's no way to sugar coat this," Teddy faces Callie and Arizona who is grasping one hand, while Lauren grasps his other hand. "His heart is failing."

"He's fifteen." Callie comments, incredulously.

"There's an indication in his blood work of an infection, we're working on narrowing it down and once we have, we'll get him on antibiotics. Good news: it's fixable with surgery, so he might not need a transplant."

"And the bad news?" Arizona is clearly afraid to know.

"I'm not comfortable performing this surgery. I've done it, but not in a very long time. I'd recommend bringing someone in to perform the surgery."

"What part of his heart is affected?" Arizona questions.

"The echo indicates that the wall between the two halves of his heart is what was weakened by the infection and the heart is now leaking blood between the two halves."

"Aunt Erica," Carter exclaims, causing everyone in the room to turn toward her. "She's done tons of research on the topic – heck the research earned her a Harper Avery – if there's anyone out there that can perform this surgery, it's her."

Callie and Arizona share a look. Fortunately the relationship between the women has vastly improved. When Erica married her girlfriend ten years ago, the two women asked Carter and Liam to be their flower girl and ring bearer; Arizona and Callie were also asked to be the godparents to their oldest child. The women speak often, at least once a month, sharing the newest details of their lives. After a few silent minutes of conversation, Callie pulls out her phone and hits the speed dial for Erica.

"Hey, Erica, it's Callie… I need your help."


	3. Chapter 3

Summary: It's fifteen years later. Liam is admitted to Seattle Grace-Mercy West after collapsing during a baseball game.

Disclaimer: All television shows, books, movies, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

* * *

Callie called Erica, who was more than willing to do this for her friends. She had an operation she couldn't step away from but would be out there as quickly as she could be.

"Alright everyone out." Cristina said to the 20 or so people in the room. "If you don't live at 47 Willow Drive, out!" She could see that Callie and Arizona needed a few moments with Carter and Liam.

Everyone left, Teddy telling them she'd be back in about an hour to make sure the medication was helping. Alex telling them to page him if they needed and managing to be nice about it.

Lauren was still holding Liam's hand, her fingers interlaced with his. Her eyes were on his face, his olive skin tanned even darker from all his hours in the sun playing, his dark hair shaggy as he wanted to have a rock star look. She knew under his eyelids were the brownest eyes, the most beautiful eyes in the world. She was young, Liam was too, but she wasn't stupid. She had been around medicine her whole life, she knew he could die.

"I'm not leaving." She whispered, not looking up at his parents. "Not unless he has to go for a test or go to the OR." She wiped tears away with her other hand. "He's my boyfriend, it's my job to be there when he needs me."

Arizona and Callie shared a look before Callie got up and walked over, hugging her as best she could. "Do you want a moment alone with him?" She whispered, they had calls to make and she knew how Liam felt about her best friend's daughter.

Lauren nodded slowly, turning her head to look at Callie. "I don't want to be rude or intrude, I just can't leave him."

"I understand sweetheart." Callie kissed her forehead softly.

Arizona left, her parents had to be called, Matt and Mac too. Callie left to go call her parents while Carter called Michael, her brother, her best friend.

Lauren stroked Liam's cheek softly and his eyes fluttered open.

"Where am I?" He whispered, his voice weak.

"You are in the hospital, Liam." Lauren whispered, standing but never letting go of his hand. "You were warming up before the game and you collapsed." She whispered, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "But you are going to be alright. I mean having doctor's as parents has to have some kind of perk doesn't it?" She tried to joke, bending down and kissing him feather light.

Liam closed his eyes, bringing a hand up and putting it on Lauren's neck. "I thought it was nerves for being the starter now." He whispered, rubbing Lauren's neck very softly. He hadn't felt well in about two weeks but never said anything. He was afraid his parents, being who they were, would put him though a bunch of tests.

Lauren put her forehead against his. "Please don't die on me, Liam." She whispered very softly. "Not after you made me fall for you." She had fallen for him, had fallen into those brown eyes and for that dimpled grin. "Not after what we did together." She whispered.

"I promise, Lo." He whispered; he had fallen for the class flirt, the girl that would flirt with any guy without really thinking too much about it. She was funny and smart and had a shy side but she always deferred to her flirty side when she was scared. But once they started dating he noticed she still flirted but she never touched the guys, not on the arm or shoulder and she didn't let them put a hand on her back or hand. She made herself off limits for anyone but him. "I love you." He whispered before he slipped back into a blissful sleep as the drugs took back over.

"I love you too, Liam." Lauren whispered, sitting back in her chair.

* * *

After the family all were informed Carlos set up so they would have places to stay at one of his hotels, flights were arranged.

"Carter how are you doing sweetheart?" Arizona asked her daughter.

"I'm alright." Carter muttered, in a pair of scrubs that she changed into. "I mean my twin brother is in there fighting for his life and it's scary and it sucks but I'm doing ok. Aunt Erica is going to fix him and he's going to be fine. Then we can finish school and go to college and med school." She muttered. That was the plan, their plan.

Callie hugged her daughter, rubbing her back softly. "Liam is going to be fine. Erica is the best – don't let Cristina hear that – and she will fix your brother's heart." She knew it wasn't that easy, as a doctor knew it was never that easy, but she had to believe.

"I'm going to go for a run, go get us clothes and stuff." Carter always ran when she was in need of time to think. She hugged both her mom's before leaving, looking a little lost.

"Is she going to be alright to run the half mile home?" Arizona muttered, moving into Callie's arms and holding her tightly.

"She'll be alright, she just needs to think and process." Callie muttered softly, closing her eyes and holding her wife tightly. "He's going to be ok, right?" She whispered, needing to hear it.

"Right."

* * *

Mark and Lexie both found themselves in the same elevator, heading up to the PICU. "You heard about Liam, too?"

"Lauren has to be freaking out." Lexie muttered, moving her arms around her husband. "I kind of am, too."

"We need to talk to Lauren, make sure she's alright." Mark said softly as he held his wife. "She really likes him, a little too much for my taste."

"Mark." Lexie looked up at her totally gray husband who was no less handsome or charming than he was the day she met him. "Lauren loves him, our little girl is in love. And she's in love with a boy we helped raise, one that is good for and to her."

Mark just grunted as they got off on the right floor and walked into Liam's room. Lauren was sitting by Liam's bedside, the other three not back yet.

"Hi Mom, Daddy."

"Hey, Lo." Mark smiled as he walked over and gave her a big hug but noticed she didn't let go of Liam's hand. "How are you holding up, kid?"

"I'm doing pretty well. Liam woke up for a few moments and we talked." She didn't tell him that he told her he loved her; it had been the first time he had been able to say those three words to her. She wanted to keep it to herself for a little bit.

Lexie walked over and kissed her forehead softly. "Sweetie, Mark and I are going to take you home. You need to get sleep and they will keep Liam out tonight anyway."

"No." Lauren shook her head, her grip on Liam's hand tighter. "I am not leaving him." She whispered, looking at her parents with tears in her eyes. "He is my boyfriend, he's Liam, I can't leave him. I love him."

Mark and Lexie shared a look, trying to figure out what to do. "If Arizona and Callie are alright with you staying that you can stay." Mark whispered softly, knowing they would be.

* * *

Erica Hahn walked into Liam Robbins-Torres' room the next day, she had flown in at 6 am and was here at 7:02 am.

"Good morning, Liam." She smiled a little at the boy that looked so much like Callie.

"Morning, Aunt Erica." Liam said, giving her a half smile. He was still pretty weak but a little better than the night before.

Lauren, Callie, Arizona and Carter were all sitting in the room, waiting and hoping that Erica could fix him. Erica gave him a quick once over before stepping back.

"I am going to have a few tests done and if they tell me what I think they will you are going to be in my OR tomorrow afternoon getting your heart fixed." Erica smiled at them. "From the scans I have seen, and if the new tests don't show anything more, we caught it early enough you won't need a new heart. But for now relax and rest up. Callie, Arizona can I see you in the hall?"

The three women walked into the hall and Erica shut the door.

"It's pretty bad. I'm not going to lie to you." She said softly, her arms over her chest. "If over the next 24 hours it gets worse he will need a new heart. The infection has taken a lot out of him."

Arizona and Callie nodded weakly. "Thank you for coming. Carter said your name as soon as we learned what was wrong with him."

"Well the kid has good taste in heart surgeons." Erica smiled weakly. She was scared for them, scared Liam's heart would be too weak to repair and he wouldn't get a new one in time. She was scared she'd mess up and cost them their son. "I will fix Liam." Then Erica said the two words she never had as a doctor before. "I promise."

* * *

Carter walked down and sat at a table to eat her lunch. She saw a new kid, one of the new attendings kids. "Hey." She smiled as the new girl sat next to her.

"Hi I'm Mary." The new girl, about her age sat down.

"Carter. Your mom just got a job here as the new Ortho Attending right?" She asked, taking a bite of a fry.

"Yeah, she really likes it. She said the department head is the best she has worked under." Mary smiled, glad to not having to eat lunch alone. She had come with her mom but she had gotten paged.

"That would be my mama." Carter laughed softly, glad she could take her mind off this just for a little bit. "Do you want the dirt and who's who?"

"Sure." Mary smiled, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Well Miranda Bailey is the Chief of Surgery, she's the toughest person in the hospital but once she likes you she is like the best person ever." Carter laughed softly. "She's married to Ben Warren who is the head of the anesthesia department." Carter gets a nod so she knows to go on. "They have Tuck who is 18, he's from her first marriage and Bailey who is just 2."

"Wow. Surprise much?" Mary laughed.

"Yeah a total surprise." Carter chuckled, remembering that whole story. "Next is Mark Sloan and Lexie Grey. They are married but she kept her last name because she didn't want the board to be as confusing. She's in pediatric plastics and he's in plastics. He used to be the head of the department but after 5 girls he needed to step down to have more time at home."

"Five?" Mark said, pretty impressed.

"Yup, Lauren, Brook, Carolyn, Sophia and Madelyn." Carter said from memory and because half her life was spent at the Sloan household.

"Poor guy, the only guy with all those girls around."

"Trust me, he doesn't mind." Carter laughed. "Then there is Cristina Yang. She is the head of Cardio, piss her off and your body will be found 6 months later over three states." Carter warned Mary.

"Noted." Mary said dryly.

"She's married to Owen Hunt, he does the odd Trauma shift, like during the holidays and stuff when they need the help. But he's mostly a stay at home dad to their twin boys and the twin girls Cristina is about to have."

"I'm with you so far." Mary said, wanting to hear more so she was ready if she met these people.

"OK next is Addison Montgomery. She's the neonatal surgeon. She's always been the best in the world." She smiled as she thought of one of her mother's best friends. "She's married to Sam Bennett who does a Cardio case from time to time. They have AJ and Sam, Jr."

Once she got a nod to go on Carter did so. "Next is Meredith Grey, Lexie's sister and Derek's wife. She is the head of neuro. He use to be but he's like the stay at home dad. He and Owen fish together a lot when we're in school. They have George and Ellis."

"Sounds like a big group." Mary chuckled.

"Oh I'm not done. Teddy Altman is next. Cardio attending, she has a purple heart and a bronze star, she's an Army vet. She's married to a teacher at UW who used to be in the army, too." Carter had to say Teddy was one of her favorites at the hospital, badass but not bitchy. "She adopted John's daughter Eileen and she's 16 now and going to Julliard's summer program for high school students."

"Impressive." Marry said, enjoying the dirt.

"Jackson Avery is next, hot and smart and getting married in a few months to a first year attending. He is in Ortho working for my mom." Carter liked looking at the very pretty Jackson Avery.

"I will have to look him up." Mary grinned.

"Next is Alex Karev and his wife April. He's in PED's and she's in psych. She broke her hand trying to stop an elevator door from closing on a kid and lost like 30% of her hand function. But she's really good at talking to people and hearing what they say. She and Alex have Alex Jr., James and Ella. Alex is also a total hottie."

"Sucks for her, hurting her hand." Mary said.

"You never saw old tapes of her cutting." Carter laughed a little. "And last but not least, my parents. Callie Torres, head of Ortho and Arizona Robbins, head of PED's. Both awesome and kick ass. Though Mom does roll around on heelys and giggle." Carter muttered.

"Wait so you have gay parents?" Mary asked.

"Yup."

"My uncles are gay and two of my cousins, I wasn't judging, just making sure." Mark said quickly.

"I'm use to it." Carter chuckled. "They have me, my twin brother Liam and they adopted my brother Michael after his parents died in a car crash. They both were on his case and they bonded so much they adopted him."

"Wow that's a lot of people and a lot of drama."

"Welcome to Seattle Grace - Mercy West." Carter chuckled before going to toss her plate away.


	4. Chapter 4

Summary: It's fifteen years later. Liam is admitted to Seattle Grace-Mercy West after collapsing during a baseball game.

Disclaimer: All television shows, books, movies, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

Emma – To answer your question: No, Carter isn't short for anything. The baby name websites I checked all listed it as a unisex name, but the reasoning behind it was that originally – before we had Calzona find out that they were having twins – Carter would be the first name – boy or girl – and it was the name of the grandfather Arizona was named for.

* * *

"I can't believe it took her this long to pass out." Callie whispers to her wife, not wanting to wake the young girl asleep at her son's bedside.

"It wasn't that difficult, and she'll be out for awhile." Arizona leans into her wife's side, glancing down the hall for someone. Callie recognizes the tone in the blonde's voice.

"Why, what did you do?"

"At Mark's request, I drugged her. Just a mild sedative," she elaborates defensively. "She needs her rest. She had an exam on Friday, and a paper due the day before. Mark said she hadn't slept more than a couple hours a night for the past week. And Friday night she was taking care of a sick Maddie when Mark and Lexie were paged in to that emergency-,"

"And then she was up early for Carter and Liam's games." Callie finishes.

"Exactly, she's going to make herself sick if she keeps up with this and doesn't take care of herself."

"Hey," Mark approaches, his gaze falling onto his oldest daughter. "She's out?"

"Like a light, and she should be for the night at least."

"Thanks, Zoner." Mark gives her a smile with his nickname. He'd once tried calling her 'Z' after she and Callie had gotten married and Erin had just about broken his scalpel hand. Later, when Callie was fixing him up, she'd explained that 'Z' was the nickname that Danny had given her when they were kids. The only reason her wife allowed Erin and Matty to call her that was because as kids they couldn't pronounce her full name, and they both took after Danny in most respects. So after Mark apologized to the two pediatric surgeons, he quickly came up with the new nickname, though he mostly still referred to the blonde as 'Roller girl'.

Gently extracting Lauren's hand from Liam's, Mark picks her up, cradling her into his chest. He stops by Arizona, allowing the blonde to gently tuck the girl's jacket around her thin frame before continuing on his way, meeting his wife by the elevator.

"Excuse me?" The two women turn at the tentatively voiced question behind them and are faced with the sight of a woman that Callie recognizes from interviews the previous week.

"Dr. Grant, how can I help you?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was doing rounds and a patient had a question," she hands the chart over to Callie, who waves it off.

"I'm not working for the next few days, Jackson Avery will be taking over the duties as department head for the moment."

"Calliope-," Callie interrupts what she knows will be Arizona's argument for her needing to work.

"No, I'm far too distracted right now to be of any use to my patients," she turns back to the new surgeon. "Dr. Avery will help you." Dr. Grant simply nods before turning, but stops at Callie's voice.

"And I'm sorry that I wasn't at the Chief's office this morning to welcome you." Dr. Grant smiles gently at her boss.

"It's alright, Dr. Bailey informed me about your son. I'm sorry to hear, I do hope he feels better soon." She turns and walks off before either woman can say anything more. Callie and Arizona enter the room and take up a post at each side of their son's bed, each taking hold of a hand.

"What's going through that mind of yours, baby?" Arizona recognizes the pensive look on her wife's face. It doesn't happen often, the two women have shared every problem and obstacle that has crossed their paths during their 16 year marriage, so thoughts have often never made it to the point where one or the other is worrying over it individually, but it has happened often enough.

"Just rethinking something that I was thinking at the game on Saturday," Arizona tilts her head, raising an eyebrow in silent question, prompting her wife on. "There were a bunch of scouts at the game. I was thankful that the academies aren't allowed to actively scout for athletes, because we both know that if our son didn't want to play baseball in college than he'd be following Michael to the Naval Academy and later your father and brother into the Marines. And now I'm kind of thankful for this infection, because it means he won't be able to consider it anymore. How unpatriotic does that make me? Or bad of a mother? I'm thankful that my son is sick because it means he won't be able to join the military."

"About as unpatriotic of a bad mother that it makes me." Callie looks up to her wife, shocked. "Believe me, I'm just as thrilled as you. Don't get me wrong, if he approached me tomorrow and said he was giving up baseball for the military, then I'd be 100% supportive of his decision, but it is nice to know that the military is no longer an option for him." Arizona releases her son's hand and gets up to join her wife, curling up in her lap like she tends to do at home. "It doesn't make you a bad mother," she wraps her arms around the other woman's neck, "I'm sure my mother would tell you the same thing."

"I certainly would." The younger women look up to see the elder Robbins filling the doorway and immediately jump to their feet to embrace the two, Arizona going straight to her father, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest as if she were still 10 years old, rather than nearing 50.

Kerry pulls back from her embrace, framing Callie's face with her hands while placing another kiss on the younger woman's forehead. You wouldn't guess that the couple in front of them was well into their 80s by the youthful gleam in their eyes and the spring to their steps, though their spring seems a little less as does the gleam as they gaze upon the sight of their grandson in the hospital bed.

"How are you two holding up?" Kerry questions her daughters, not the least bit upset that Arizona returned to her father's embrace after greeting her. She and Carter both have always preferred her husband's embrace to hers and it's never bothered her. "Have you heard anything?"

"He just got back from radiology, where they did some new scans. If all looks good, then he'll be going into surgery first thing tomorrow for the repair."

"I hate to be the bucket of cold water," Dan speaks, "but what if all doesn't look good?"

"Then he'll need some more tests before getting placed on the transplant list."

"Fortunately, that doesn't look to be the case." The group turns to see Erica and Christina approach; the latter has changed into scrubs, but has her gear with her. The sight of Owen standing a few feet behind the pair lets the group know he's taking her home as soon as they've delivered the news. "It looks like we caught the infection just in time. He'll still need monitoring for the next year or so, but it doesn't look like he'll need a transplant. God willing, we'll all be there to witness him throw his first pitch for the Yankees." Erica smiles at the group.

"You mean the Rays," Arizona grins at the other blonde, wincing slightly when her father pinches her shoulder teasingly.

"I think my daughter meant to say the Rockies."

"Come on now, people," Callie interrupts. "We all know my son will be playing for the Braves."

"Why not the Cubs?" The weak voice from the room causes them all to spin around. The surprise is quickly replaced by not so fake horror for most.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but if you go to play for the Cubs than I just might have to cut you out of the will." Arizona moves forward to hug her son, stepping aside so that her parents can greet him. Liam is still smiling when Kerry and Daniel move in for hugs and kisses, the argument of which team he'll be playing for has been a long running argument in the family.

"Hey, Grams, Gramps. How was Hawaii?" Daniel Robbins had officially retired shortly after Liam and Carter were born. Kerry wanted to be around for the girls while the twins were so young, and since Erin had transferred to Seattle Grace-Mercy West that spring after completing her residency, she considered it a win-win situation and had played the part of nanny for her children while they worked. Right after Callie and Arizona adopted Michael, Kerry dragged her husband off on the trip around the world in the sailboat he'd spent the past five years building. They'd just returned to Monterey from their recent trip to Hawaii when they'd gotten the call from Arizona about Liam.

"It was fantastic, remind me to show you all the photos and I'll let you pick some to paint." While Carter preferred Daniel, Liam was just as attached to Kerry and after spending so much time in the studio with her, he picked up her love of painting and often painted Kerry's photos on canvas; they were all so realistic that the paintings often sold better than the prints. Should Liam not be able to play baseball again, he doesn't have to worry about paying for college thanks to his savings account from selling all those paintings.

"Deal." Liam looks around, not seeing his girlfriend. "Where did Lauren go?"

"Mark convinced her to go home and get some rest."

"Meaning one of you drugged her so she couldn't complain." He knows how his mother's are and knows that Lauren wouldn't just leave.

"Only at Mark's request."

"Good," he leans back against the pillows. "She needs the rest."

* * *

"So, Liam and Lauren are getting serious?" Kerry comments from her seat beside Arizona in the car. They volunteered to go out and get dinner, but first are going to stop by the house and pick up Carter.

"Seems that way." Arizona keeps her eyes on the road, but her mother can tell there's something more.

"You're worried." It's not a question.

"They're kids. And I realize that chances are they won't last, but they're so intense sometimes."

"First loves often are. Remember how you and Joanne were?" Arizona thinks back to her first girlfriend. She knew that she and Joanne weren't going to last in the long haul before they'd even celebrated one month together, but at the start of the relationship, Arizona really did feel like she'd met her soul mate.

Getting out of the car, Arizona stops on the porch, just outside the front door, fiddling with her keys while she tries to figure out what to say.

"I'm just worried. This isn't like me and Joanne. Her dad could have gotten transferred at any moment, and I knew that chances were, we'd never see each other again after we broke up. But it's not like that with Lauren. I love that girl, I do, I delivered her at 32 weeks, I treated her when she suffered from pneumonia as an infant and spent 3 months in the NICU, Calliope and I are her godparents, but we all work together. Even when Calliope and I retire from surgery, we still plan on sticking around and lecturing; Calliope has her lab here, she plans to continue on with her research for as long as she can. Lexie has no intention of transferring and so long as Derek and Addison and Sam and Calliope are here, Mark isn't going to leave either. Even after Liam and Lauren end, they're still going to be around each other, and I don't know if they could handle that. Especially Liam.

"He's so much like Calliope; he loves with his whole heart and holds nothing back. I do hope that they last, but at the same time, they need to know what else is out there, and they won't be able to know if they commit themselves to each other so young in life."

"That sounds shockingly like something my oldest daughter said to me nearly 18 years ago when she found out that the woman she was crushing on had only been with one other woman."

"Difference is, we were in our 30s, we'd lived life, we knew – well, more what we _weren't_ looking for than what we were-," Kerry interrupts her daughter before she can start another speech.

"Liam has a good head on his shoulders; you and Callie have raised him well. He knows what can be waiting for him out there and if he feels that Lauren should have the opportunity to see what else may be out there for her than he'll set her free. But I'd put money on you and McSteamy being in-laws one day, whether you like it or not."


	5. Chapter 5

Summary: It's fifteen years later. Liam is admitted to Seattle Grace-Mercy West after collapsing during a baseball game.

Disclaimer: All television shows, books, movies, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

* * *

Callie sat in Liam's hospital room, alone for the moment. He was sleeping again and Daniel had gone to try to find something to read from the hospital library.

"Hey." Mark walked in, sitting next to his best friend.

"Hey." Callie whispered, not taking her eyes off her son's face.

"How's he doing?" Mark asked, trying to act like they weren't doctors. He could have read the chart that was on the end of the bed but instead he asked.

"Erica said that they have the push the operation back a little. She saw something a little off on a test and wants to get another tomorrow to see if it changes." Callie told Mark, turning and looking at one of the best friends she has ever had.

"He's going to be alright, Callie." Mark whispered, kissing her cheek and taking the hand that wasn't in Liam's. "He promised my little girl he'd take her to prom. He wouldn't break that."

Callie laughed softly. "Can you believe our kids ended up together?" She whispered, looking at him. "After all the things that we went though, after all the mistakes we made before figuring out we were meant to be with the people we are now?"

"It's pretty crazy." Mark agreed, he looking over at Liam, the boy that had taken his daughter's heart. "You know in 50 years if he and Lauren have a kid it'll be both of ours." He squeezed her hand softly. "Ever wonder would have happened if you and I had one?" He thought back to when they were humping like bunnies, not always in the safest way either.

Pain flashed in Callie's eyes as she turned to look at Mark. Something she carried inside of her, telling no one before, bubbling up to the top. "We almost did."

"What?" Mark whispered. "You didn't…"

"I was about a month late once, I had morning sickness, too, now that I look back on it." Callie whispered, picking her words carefully, knowing Mark's history with this. "I miscarried." She muttered, shivering just a little.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Mark asked, his thumb running over her knuckles.

"I knew your history with what Addison did, I knew you wanted to be a father. I didn't think you'd take it well and I needed you in my life." Callie looked into his eyes, needed to know he forgave her, that he still loved her.

"We ended up with the people we were meant to, Callie." Mark kissed her cheek again. "If you and I had a kid then? Poor kid." He chuckled weakly.

* * *

Arizona and Kerry walked into the hospital room with Carter carrying the food. Callie and Daniel were watching the Braves play the Cardinals. Lauren was back, in scrubs this time, holding Liam's hand and sipping a milkshake.

"Mom?" Liam said in his weak voice that was so unlike him. "Can I have a sip of Lauren's shake?" He asked, trying to give her the sick kid face.

"No, sweetie." Arizona walked over to his bedside and kissed him softly on the forehead. "But you can have an ice chip." She said, trying to sound excited.

"I'm good." Liam muttered softly.

Lauren took a breath, hating to see her boyfriend so depressed. She took a sip of her shake and stood, pressing her lips to his and letting him taste it off her lips.

"Yum, strawberry." Liam smiled for the first time since he hit the dirt on the baseball field.

"You know if I did that you would punch the guy out." Carter gave her brother the evil eye.

"If you did that I would kick his ass. You're too young to kiss boys." Liam teased her, needing something normal right now.

"I'm older than you." Carter rolled her eyes. Kerry and Daniel chuckled, remembering Danny and Arizona acting the same way. Callie and Arizona just shook their head.

"Maybe, but I'm still your brother." Liam smirked.

Erica and Alex walked into Liam's room stopping the fight. "There is good news and bad news." Erica said, holding a file in her hand.

"Bad news first." Liam muttered, his hand tight around Lauren's.

"Your infection is not responding as fast as we expected to the treatment. It needs to be gone before I can repair your heart." Erica informed Liam, all the adults holding their breath for the good news.

"But the good news is your heart is holding strong and in 48 hours I should be able to go in and repair it with Dr. Karev's help." Erica smiled at the boy.

"You'll be pitching for Hawkeyes in a few years, I have to patch you up." Alex said.

"Not on your life." Callie snorted. "He's going to Yale."

"Stanford."

"Harvard."

"NYU."

"UW."

"Alright everyone thank you for your options on where I should go to college." Liam laughed weakly. "But can we get back to the matter at hand?"

"Anyway." Erica laughed a little at how much everyone in the room wanted Liam to take their pick for college. "I will run a few more tests over the next two days but the important thing is for you to rest up and let your body fight the infection."

"Thank you, Aunt Erica."

* * *

Just after 9 PM, Aria and Jesse walked into Liam's hospital room. "Daddy is parking the car and Mama is telling him how to do it." She smiled, hugging her sister and sister in law before going over to her nephew. "You know if you wanted to see your favorite aunt you could have called."

"Next time." Liam lifted an arm and hugged his aunt as tightly as he could. "How are you, Aunt A?"

"Well I have four weddings, three graduation parties and fourteen birthdays in the works to plan but this is why I hire people." Aria sat down as Jesse hugged the women in the room. "And now I have to plan your party when you get out of here."

"I don't need a party." Liam blushed a little.

"Never turn down her parties, Liam." Jesse chuckled, standing behind his wife. "She gets the best food and brings the leftovers home so I don't have to eat her cooking for like a week after."

Carlos and Andromeda walked into the room, both in good health for their age. Andromeda walked over and kissed her grandson's cheek. "If you ever scare me like this again you are out of the will, mister." She said, hugging him best she could.

"Sorry, Grand."

Carlos smiled and nodded at his grandson. "She doesn't mean it Liam, she tells me I'm out of the will at least once a week."

Mac and Matt walked in before Andromeda could have a comeback, Michael right behind them. "They weren't going to let me out until Uncle Matt talked to them." He said, moving forward and hugging both his mother's. "Hey, Mom, Mama." He muttered softly.

"It's good to see you, Mike." Arizona whispered, kissing his cheek while Callie kissed the other.

Michael walked over to his brother's bedside and took his hand. "You know that when I left I told you not to cause drama." He chuckled, his eyes sad though. He had watched his parents die in a car crash before Arizona and Callie adopted him. He couldn't lose his brother too.

"Sorry Mike. I guess I forget." Liam chuckled weakly.

Michael walked over and hugging Carter when she stood. "How's my favorite little sister?" He asked, holding her tightly.

"I missed you, Mike." She muttered, hugging her best friend with all her might.

"Miss you too, short stack." He pulled back and smiled at the Lauren. "Keeping Liam in line?"

"All the time." Lauren smiled, hugging Michael. "Someone has to with you gone."

Erin walked in. "Wow family reunion much?" She said, hugging her brother and sister in law before hugging her nephew.

"Alright Liam it's time for your sponge bath." Erin told him. "Everyone out the nurse will be in here in a moment."

"Can't Lauren do it?" Liam asked, stopping every adult in the room.

"I… umm… ask your mothers." Erin said.

Arizona looked at Callie, Callie back at Arizona; they didn't need to talk to figure it out. "Alright." Arizona said. "But remember we will be on the other side of the door, Liam Daniel." She warned him.

"Yes, ma'am." Liam nodded, Lauren nodding too.

Erin went over a few rules, what wires not to touch and so on before leaving. She knew that Liam was shy and didn't want to have someone bath him he didn't know.

Lauren got a wash cloth and wetted it before ringing it out. "I can't believe you asked them, Liam." She muttered, helping him take the top of his gown off. "I mean it was really bold and it could have backfired."

"Yeah well I don't need a nurse to feel me up when I have you. Besides washing my arms, chest and legs isn't that exciting." Liam muttered, lying back after the gown was pulled down to his waist.

"I know but still." Lauren dragged the cool wash cloth over his skin. "Feel good?" She asked, her free hand resting over his heart on his chest, careful of all the tubes.

"Yeah." Liam muttered, looking at her. "Thanks for being here for me." He added. "I know a lot of girls would have bolted."

"I'm not a lot of girls." Lauren said, moving to the other arm. "I love you and you love me. This is what people in love do, they are there for the people they love." She finished his arms and rewetted the washcloth before walking back over to wash his chest.

When she bent over to reach she heard Liam's heart rate go up a little. She turned her head and raised an eyebrow. "I like the pink bra." Liam muttered, able to see down her scrub top pretty well.

"You are such a boy." Lauren couldn't help but giggle, but not changing position. "Think of this as your entertainment for the week."

Liam chuckled, watching her wash his chest before moving and washing both his legs. The cool cloth felt good against his sweaty and sticky skin. It felt good to be alone with Lauren and tease each other again. He needed something normal to keep him sane right now.

After she finished his legs she handed him a new, damp cloth. "Here."

"What's this for?" Liam asked dumbly.

"You need to wash your junk." She muttered, lifting the gown but not looking at what was under it. She has walked into the bathroom on her father in the bathroom more than once over the course of her life and had seen photos in medical books but still wasn't ready to see Liam. Not yet and not like this anyway.

"Oh, yeah." He muttered as he blushed redder than he had since he jumped into a pool and his trunks came off when he was 11. He washed himself before Lauren grabbed a clean gown and helped him put it on.

"Babe there is one more thing." Liam whispered, taking both her hands in his. "I want to ask you something but I don't want you to freak out, promise?"

"I am not having sex with you before your operation." Lauren laughed.

"No not that." Liam blushed again. "If I make it out I want you to promise me after we're done with college that you will marry me."

Before Lauren could answer the door swung open; Arizona, Callie, Mark, Lexie, Erin, Aria, Jesse, Michael, Carter, Mac, Matt, Kerry, Daniel, Andromeda and Carlos looking shocked.

Lauren didn't let their looks faze her. "Yeah, you live and I'll marry you." She whispered, bending down and kissing him.


	6. Chapter 6

Summary: It's fifteen years later. Liam is admitted to Seattle Grace-Mercy West after collapsing during a baseball game.

Disclaimer: All television shows, books, movies, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

* * *

"Well, then, that was… unexpected." Aria looked to her sisters once the group had returned to the house after visiting hours were over. The parents had all retired to their rooms while the kids were being set up in the basement. Once the next generation of the Torres-Robbins-Conway family hit the double digits, the basement had been turned into the children's hotel, with several sets of bunk beds and cribs set up around an old entertainment center.

"It's been awhile since you've been out here, Aria, things have changed with him."

"But engagement?" Aria really wants Callie to see this from her point of view.

"More like a promise… at least that's how I'm viewing it. If I view it any other way than I'll go crazy."

"So this is like your version of that first Muddy Buddy weekend?" Erin throws herself down beside her sister, throwing her legs over Callie's and Arizona's, wiggling her toes until one of them started massaging them. Once Callie started in, Mac joined in on the game, swinging her legs up onto Aria's lap in the hope that she'd partake as her sister did. Fortunately all the women have grown close since Callie and Arizona's wedding. When Mac needed a final bridesmaid to even out the numbers of male and female attendants, she didn't hesitate in calling Aria, who didn't think twice before accepting. Aria – remembering how she felt at 6 months with her last pregnancy – takes pity on the Marine and begins rubbing her feet.

"Exactly! A member of our family, just not quite official."

"Can we change the subject please?" Arizona pleads. "I get the odd feeling that if we keep going with this than it's just going to be a never ending debate, and Elise isn't here to make it interesting… Speaking of which, where are the rest of your kids, Aria?" Callie's sister had only shown up at the hospital with her two youngest, 3-year-old Rosa and Carlos Juan, who had just turned one.

"They're staying with a friend. It's too close to the end of the year for them to be missing much school, and we have no idea how long this is going to take. Especially Elise, she just about had a heart attack when we announced that we'd be going. The debate team has state next week and they're going crazy preparing for it. And JJ and Jade have got some surfing competition next week that they don't want to miss out on. Where is Charles?" She turns to Mac, wondering where her oldest is.

"With my uncle. But he's going to be out here on Friday; he's got two weeks-,"

"And you were planning on sending them out here." Arizona remembers the plans they'd made months ago. Her brother and his wife send their son to a year-round school that has two week vacations every two months, and they'd made plans for the boys to spend this vacation in Seattle with Kerry and Daniel. Because it's approaching graduation – which means Parents' Week and new plebes – the two of them would be short on time and didn't want to neglect the kids, plus they hadn't spent any real time with their grandparents in almost a year.

"Yeah, no worries, you're forgiven for forgetting."

"I didn't forget, it just slipped my mind. In case you haven't noticed, I've got slightly more pressing things on my mind at the moment."

"Forgiven and forgotten, Ari." She groans just as Matt enters the room, raising a hand to him. "Take me to bed, I'm exhausted." She leans into her husband, letting him take the bulk of her weight as he leads her up the stairs, leaving behind a quartet of smiling women. Jesse enters the room just as they leave and Aria jumps up to join them.

"I'm hitting the sack, too, I'm exhausted. I'll see you ladies in the morning."

"And then there were two." Erin gets to her feet, slipping her shoes back on and moving to the front door. "I'll see you two tomorrow."

Once she's gone, Callie and Arizona realize that staying awake is a battle in futility and they join the rest of the family in preparing for bed.

* * *

"Morning," Erica joins Teddy at the cardiac nurses' station the following morning. With Christina being on maternity leave, rather than interview for a temporary department head or choose one of the senior attendings to take the post, Bailey pulled Teddy out of retirement for the months Christina would be gone.

"Morning, what's that you've got?" Erica was walking past the lab when the tech on duty pulled her aside with the newest results from Liam's blood work. The younger Robbins-Torres is beloved around this hospital – as is his older brother and sister – and many of the techs and nurses have been putting in some extra hours with the hope of getting to the bottom of his health issues faster. Erica hands the results over to Teddy for consult.

"The infection has been identified. Now the question is: how did he get it? This isn't exactly the kind of infection that you pick up by scratching yourself on a rusty nail."

"But you can get it by drinking unfiltered water in parts of Europe."

"Good thing we always stick to bottled water then." The women are interrupted by Carter approaching. Despite her young age, the early hour wins over and she's drinking heavily from the large cup of coffee in her hands. Silently she hands the two surgeons the coffee carrier with two additional cups she brought for them. "What's this about drinking unfiltered water?"

"That's the only way Liam could have contracted this infection." Teddy knows that there's no point in hiding things from her goddaughter, she always listened in when the doctors would discuss cases and by the time she was ten she had the necessary knowledge that would allow her to weigh in on the situations and often provide the necessary information to solve a medical mystery and treat the patient. Mark's joke gift of infant sized-scrubs when she was a baby had continued on, until it was no longer a joke, throughout her childhood. Every Halloween, Carter would don her favorite pair of scrubs and one of her mother's old stethoscopes and a child-sized scrub cap for trick-or-treating. The only question now would be whether she'd follow in Callie's footsteps at Florida State or Arizona's footsteps at Johns Hopkins – though everyone knew she'd find her own path wherever Liam and Lauren went. As soon as the three decided to be doctors, they agreed to try their hardest to attend the same schools for undergrad and med school, as well as attempt to get into the same surgical program.

"We all drank bottled water when we were in Greece last month… well, that or ouzo."

"Ouzo?" Erica has no idea what that is.

"It's like licorice schnapps."

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking?"

"My biological mother and father are Irish, and my birth mother is a Spanish-Cuban-Greek that frequently mainlines tequila… and don't even get me started on my various aunts and uncles. Moms are cool with it, so long as we don't go anywhere when we've been drinking. And we were surrounded by family when we were out there, none of them would have let anything bad happen to us. Now what's wrong with Liam? You said something about drinking the water?"

"That's the only way that he could have contracted this infection." Teddy hands the results over so that Carter can see for herself.

"Mom and Mama had been drilling it into our heads since they announced that we were going that we shouldn't drink the water. The only way that any of us consumed any water was if it was unintentional while we were swimming or showering."

"You're sure?" Erica checks again.

"Positive. You know how much we travel, Aunt Erica, we know the drill. It's not antibiotic resistant, that's a good thing, right? Right?" She looks between the two heart surgeons… clearly there's something they're not saying. Arizona and Callie's arrival interrupts Carter from further interrogation.

"Morning, what's new?" Arizona's usual perkiness is back in its usual force this morning. Clearly she's anticipating good news – like her son's surgery taking place that day. Teddy and Erica share a quick glance before turning their attention to the now frowning duo and their daughter.

"What's wrong?" Callie is the one to speak up, as usual when things get tough. Teddy takes a deep breath before relaying this news. Fortunately, the hour is still early and only the barest skeleton crew is on hand to run the surgical floor, so there aren't many people to overhear this news.

"Good news is that Liam responded very well to the antibiotics over night-,"

"And the bad news?" Arizona grips Callie's hand at the question, wrapping her other arm around their daughter in solidarity.

"The bad news is that he's still not improving as fast as we'd like. If the infection doesn't clear up in the next 24 hours, than the surgery – which can still go on – will just be a stop-gap. If we don't get in there and repair his heart in the next 36 hours, he'll definitely need a heart transplant."

"And there's no way to speed up the process?" Arizona knows the answer before it's fully left her mouth. Despite the research – including that of the former Chief of Surgery, the late Richard Webber – there's no way to speed up the bodies' process.

"What about, umm… hold on, I've got it here." Handing her coffee cup to one of her mothers, Carter digs into her bag for her e-reader. She quickly pulls up the article she'd been reading that week, handing it over to her aunts to skim through. "It talks about using stem cells from the marrow to speed up the healing process."

"And it works, but there are a few issues with this." Teddy starts listing the problems. "One, by the time we cross match and find a donor and extract the stem cells, he'll either be done with surgery or on the donor list for a heart. Second, it would take too much time to find a donor – we already know that Callie isn't a match to Liam," years earlier the family had been in a car crash and Liam had needed a blood transfusion. The doctors had to rely on the blood bank rather than a direct transfusion from Callie.

"What about our father?" Carter looks between her moms. It had never been a secret about their conception; the kids knew all the details about the sperm donor. "When he filled out the paperwork he agreed to donate blood or marrow if we ever needed it. Put a call into the sperm bank, they can contact him and he can get typed today, we'll know by dinner if he's a match."

"Carter," Erica steps in, keeping her tone low and gentle, "I understand you wanting Liam to get better, but this isn't something that we'd be able to do. Even if your father is a match, by the time we get him typed and extract the marrow and get it out here, Liam will likely be in surgery."

"And if he's not? Come on, what have we got to lose?" One thing Carter inherited from Callie is the ability to deliver one potent stare down that she is currently directing at her mothers. As soon as they look to each other, she knows that she's won and that they'll be putting in that call before they go to see Liam.

* * *

Callie and Arizona walked into Liam's hospital room, asking everyone but Carter and Michael to leave the family alone for a moment. Lauren could tell this was a moment she really didn't want to be a part of so she respected their wishes and left.

"Did you find him?" Carter asked from her spot next to Michael.

"Will he do it?" Michael asked, Carter had told everyone about the treatment.

Arizona and Callie sat down and looked at their children, both looking to be in a little bit of shock.

"He died about a year ago." Arizona said softly, looking to each of her children to make sure they took the news well. "He was painting and stepped in some paint, fell down the stairs and broke his neck."

"Damn it." Carter muttered, knowing this treatment was Liam's best shot.

"Hey, it's alright." Liam said, managing a smile. "I am going to kick this infection in the ass."

"They did tell us something else though." Callie told her children, looking at each of them a moment. "He had one other family use his sample. Don and Mary Titus."

Michael's mouth opened and then closed again. "Wait, those are my parents' names. Are you telling me that I'm Carter and Liam's half brother?"

"We called and did a little digging and it looks to be that way." Arizona whispered, taking a deep breath. "I guess we were meant to adopt you." She smiled at her oldest.

Mike turned to Carter and Liam for a moment before a wide smile came to his face. He got up and walked over to Liam, taking his brother's hands. "I am going to get tested and if I'm a match I'll donate."

Liam nodded, a few tears in his eyes. "Thank you, Mike." He whispered, a little choked up.

"Thank you, Michael." Arizona whispered, hugging him when he walked over to her and Callie. "You are a good man."

Michael hugged both women, holding them tightly. "You two raised me to be a good man in a storm. I can't stop now while it counts can I?"


	7. Chapter 7

Summary: It's fifteen years later. Liam is admitted to Seattle Grace-Mercy West after collapsing during a baseball game.

Disclaimer: All television shows, books, movies, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

* * *

Coach Bill Jones walked into the PICU, the members of Liam's baseball team all behind him dressed nicely. He knew that the team should make an effort to support their sick team member. He took the boys to the waiting room before going to the desk.

"I'm sorry to bother you." He said to a nurse. "But will you page Dr. Robbins or Dr. Torres for me?"

The nurse smiled up at the young, handsome baseball couch. At 45 he was still in top physical condition, his short brown hair and blue eyes making most woman swoon. "Of course, sir."

Arizona walked out of Liam's room when she was paged, seeing Bill.

"Bill." She smiled, hugging the man that had really helped Liam over the years.

"Hey, Dr. Robbins. How's Liam?" He asked, after the hug broke up.

"He's doing well, he is going to get a treatment hopefully tomorrow morning and if that goes well 24 hours later his heart will be repaired." Arizona smiled, thankful that things were looking up again.

"That's great, really great." Bill smiled at her. "And Liam will have his spot back next year, I don't want him to worry about that. If he can play then of course."

"We're hoping." Arizona smiled.

"Look I brought the team, they are in the waiting room, can they see him? They have been really worried about him and I think it's good to be around people that care in these times."

"Of course. We can have three at a time go in." Arizona offered, walking with Bill to the waiting room.

"Where is Josh?" Bill asked, doing a head count.

"He had to use the john, Coach." The team captain told him.

Bill nodded and three boys went with him to Liam's room.

* * *

Josh Hall walked quickly down the hall and into the room that he had gotten a text to go to. He knew that if he got caught he'd be in big trouble but it was worth it.

After he walked into the room he shut the door, seeing Carter sitting on the empty on call room bed.

"Hello, Josh." She couldn't hold back her grin or the tears that fell down her face. She stood and walked over to him, her arms wrapping around his strong body.

"Hey babe." He whispered, hugging her tightly and even lifting her off the floor a little. "God I missed you the last few days." He muttered as he placed a sloppy kiss on her neck.

"I hate that we're not telling people we're dating." She muttered softly. Josh was Liam's best friend, they had been friends since they were two and three and played in the hospital nursery. His father was the head of Radiology. "I have wanted to cry in your arms since Saturday."

Josh held back that it was her idea they not tell anyone. Carter was scared of how Liam would take the news. He was protective of his sister, some would say overly, and Josh didn't want to lose his best friend. "I know, Carter." He whispered, holding her tight to him. "After this is over we can tell everyone."

Carter nodded before wiping her face off and locking the door. She tugged him over to a bed and pushed him down on it. She laid down next to him and shifted him over her, just taking comfort in his warmth and weight over her. "Just kiss me, Josh." She muttered, moving her head and connecting their lips.

* * *

"Have you seen Carter lately?" Arizona asked Callie when half of the team had finished seeing Liam.

"No, maybe she went for a walk or something?" Callie suggested.

"I know but the team has been here for a while and that's the last time I saw her. I'm worried." Arizona muttered as she put an arm around Callie.

"She is fine, Arizona." Callie chuckled, kissing her wife tenderly. "How about while the rest of the team sees Liam you and I go to an on call room and make out like teenagers?"

"Calliope." Arizona muttered, knowing she shouldn't giggle like she is.

"Come on." Callie smiled, taking Arizona to the on call room on the floor.

Callie and Arizona make their way to the on call room, opening the door and looking inside. On the bed across from the door they saw Carter and Josh, both of them shirtless and Carter's bra halfway off and to top it off Josh's hand was in their daughter's pants.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Callie barked at the 15 and 16 year old.

"Shit." Carter muttered, pulling Josh down so she could hide behind him. "Hi Mom, Mama." She said, trying to shrug this off.

"Get dressed now, both of you!" Arizona ordered.

Carter fixed her bra before Josh moved off of her. They both grabbed their shirts and put them back on, moving to the sit on the edge of the bed. They knew they were in big trouble, big, big trouble.

"Josh, go back and join your team." Callie said, moving to let the boy out.

"Why you are you letting him go?" Carter protested.

"Because your brother wants to see his best friend. We will talk to Bill and make sure he stays for part two of this." Callie gave Carter a look as Arizona and Callie sat down on a bed against one of the walls.

"Care to tell us what happened?" Arizona asked softly, wanting the facts before anything.

Carter took a deep breath. "Josh and I have been dating for almost 6 months, we didn't tell anyone because we weren't sure if Liam would be mad at him or not. We really like each other and he treats me really well. He doesn't force me to do anything and he is a really great boyfriend."

Arizona and Callie shared a look, both not sure just what to do. They loved that their daughter had found someone that she really liked and took care of her but they didn't like the lying.

"Carter you shouldn't hide it." Callie explained softly. "Liam is best friends with Josh for a reason, he will accept you and Josh dating."

Carter nodded softly. "I'm sorry we lied. Can we go back to see Liam now?" She asked, hoping they would forget about the other stuff.

"Nice try, Carter." Arizona said, giving her a look. "How long have you and Josh been that intimate?"

"We just started going that far, maybe about a month." Carter muttered, really not wanting to talk about this to her mothers. "He didn't make me or anything." She said clearly. "We both have to want to do it for it to get done. I mean you two were doing this at my age."

Arizona and Callie both flashed back to their own first major sexual experience.

_

* * *

_

15 year old Callie Torres snuck 17 year old Hector Ortiz into her bedroom, glad her parents had gone to bed early. They had been dating for a little over a month, Hector was the most popular guy at their high school, had the best car and always had a hot girlfriend. When he gave Callie attention she was bound and determined to keep it on her.

_"Thanks for letting me come over Cal." Hector said, talking his jacket off and pulling the younger woman into his arms. "I really missed you in school today." He muttered as he started to kiss her neck._

_"Yeah well the field trip to the beach was one I wasn't going to pass up." Callie moaned softly. "We collected over 20 different types of seaweed and grasses. It was the best day."_

_Hector pulled back and took his shirt off before kissing her again. "You know what could make it better?" He asked, his hands running over her back and butt. "We could have sex." He muttered as he started undoing her shirt._

_Callie didn't know what to say so she let him undo her shirt and take off her bra. "Are you going to stay after?" She asked shyly. _

_"For a little bit but I should go pretty quick so your parents don't catch us." Hector said, dropping his pants and taking Callie's hand as they walked over to the bed. _

_

* * *

_

16 year old Arizona Robbins giggled as she and her girlfriend Joanne swim in Joanne's pool.

_"I love summer." Arizona said, swimming close to her girlfriend and giving her a soft kiss. "I love summer more when you are in nearly nothing and wet."_

_"Arizona Robbins did you just say something dirty?" The brown haired teenager asked. "I love it." She wrapped her arms around Arizona's frame and kissed her deeply. _

_"Joanne." Arizona muttered as her girlfriend's hands moved over her body._

_"You know no one else is home and no one can see us." Joanne said taking her top off and moving to take off Arizona's. _

_Arizona blushed and swam back a little. All Joanne and she had done so far was kiss, not even felt each other up. "I-" She stopped speaking when she looked at her girlfriend's bare chest. "Can do it." She felt a surge of courage and removed her own top. _

* * *

"We were." Callie shifted a little on the bed, both women knew about the other's first time really having any major sexual experience.

"We're not having sex, not even oral sex." Carter's cheeks blushed bright red. "I am not ready for that and Josh is not pushing me at all. We've had the sex talk, I know where the clinic keeps the condoms when I am ready, I know about STD's and all that. So can you please not yell because I'm not doing anything wrong."

"We weren't going to yell." Callie said, looking at her daughter. "And you and Josh are the only ones who know if and when you are ready for anything so we're not grounding you for it. But no fooling around in the hospital, no unprotected anything and if you have questions we want you to talk to us and if you can't talk to us you have aunts and uncles that can help. No getting advice from other stupid teenagers."

"Yes, ma'am." Carter nodded, thankful her parents were being good about this and not locking her in her room forever.

"And one more thing." Arizona said as they all stood. "No sneaking around, be honest with us and we will treat you more like an adult. Lie to us and you will be grounded until you are 30."

* * *

Two hours after Liam found his best friend was dating his sister, Erica walked into the room. "I have the tests results. You are a perfect match Michael." She couldn't keep the smile off her face. "If you want to come with me Dr. Avery is ready to do the harvest."

Michael stood up, kissing and hugging both his teary mothers. "I'll be back soon." He said, acting like it wasn't a big deal.

"You are my hero." Carter said, hugging her brother very tightly. "I love you."

"Love you, too, short stack." Michael whispered before heading down with Dr. Hahn.


	8. Chapter 8

Summary: It's fifteen years later. Liam is admitted to Seattle Grace-Mercy West after collapsing during a baseball game.

Disclaimer: All television shows, books, movies, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

* * *

"Okay, lie down on your side." Jackson tries to wait until Michael's attention is elsewhere before pulling out the needle for the epidural, knowing from ten years previous the young man's dislike of needles, but he's too late.

"No epidural." Michael is adamant.

"Do you have any idea how much this will hurt if you don't have an anesthetic?" Still he puts down the needle.

"Just give me a local." He might be in the Navy, with plans to join the Marines, but he still knows his medical terminology.

"Why are you so against an epidural?"

"It's not the epidural, it's the catheter I don't want."

"Why don't you want a catheter? I've given you one before, in case you've forgotten."

"Yeah, when I was ten. Sorry, Jacky, I like you, I do, but I don't particularly care that you're a doctor, I don't want you giving me a catheter. Things have changed just a tad down there."

"Don't worry, you're not my type." Jackson continues with the teasing tone that Michael has adopted.

"Look," Michael falls serious once again, "I'm out of commission for a week whether you give me an epidural or not, I'd just prefer not. I didn't like that feeling of the loss of control of my legs when I was ten, I really don't want it now."

Remembering the case of Michael's first major trip to Seattle Grace-Mercy West ten years previous, Jackson puts aside the epidural. They young boy had come in with a crush injury to his left leg and the doctors had to prepare the young boy and themselves for the possibility of amputation. In an attempt to get ahead of the potential phantom pains, Callie had Jackson give him a three day epidural. Fortunately during those three days, the leg had healed enough that Callie and Meredith were able to go in and fix his leg. Nearly four years of physical therapy later and you'd never be able to guess that the young man once nearly lost the limb.

"Fine, but you're going to need a serious pain medication."

"So long as you put it in my medical file we're golden," Michael lays down for the procedure. "I'd rather not get court-martialed and kicked out when I pop positive on a drug test when I get back."

* * *

"So," Mark sits down beside his oldest daughter, handing her a cup of hot chocolate. "Traditionally, when a boy asks a girl to marry him, he asks for the father's blessing. I liked the kid before he threw tradition out the window." Lauren glares up at her father playfully.

"Are you indicating that you think of me as your property? The only way that I can marry a guy is if you give him my hand in some sort of exchange? I'll make sure a respectable dowry is negotiated when he survives these procedures."

It wasn't long ago that Jackson came out of the exam room and announced that Liam was ready for the transplant. Due to the high risk of rejection due to a secondary infection, no one had been allowed into the procedure room, much to Lauren's dismay. Jackson, seeing Lauren's crushed look, immediately volunteered to sit by his side, handing off a hip replacement to another attending to clear his schedule.

Mark takes a moment to observe his oldest daughter for a moment. Somehow she managed to get the perfect blend of features of him and Lexie. Where all of their other girls either had her brown eyes or his clear blue, Lauren managed to get some sort of mix; as a child, her eyes had stayed the darkest shade of blue for the longest time, but one day they started to turn brown, before they stopped, leaving her iris's an almost indigo color, with the inner most circle being a chocolate brown color. Her hair is reminiscent of his, before it turned gray, an almost caramel-honey color. As the class flirt, she was appropriately armed with his smile and all of his features, but it was mixed with Lexie's wide-eyed innocence that she'd had as an intern. Still young, she still came to about mid chest on him, but it was obvious that she was going to inherit his height, while keeping her mother's body and delicate features. Already the modeling agencies had come asking for her, but he and Lexie had made a deal with her that when she could drive herself to auditions, she could go to them. Fortunately for Mark, his oldest daughter preferred sports to make-up and medicine to the runway. She had taken an interest in Callie's specialty early on and was trying to figure out some way to include an orthopedic specialty in with sports and physical therapy so that she could attach herself to a professional team – likely baseball, though she'd also consider football.

"You sure about this, Lo?" Mark turns serious in a way that Lauren has only seen a handful of times in her life. "There's a lot out there that you haven't seen and experienced, do you really want to tie yourself to one guy at fourteen?"

"Dad, I love Liam… now. I don't see myself loving anyone else, but if down the line I fall for someone else, or Liam and I break up, then I'll fall in love with someone else and I'll likely be just as happy. But now, I love him, and now, I can see myself spending the rest of my life with him. And saying that I would one day marry him… well, if that knowledge gets him through this infection and the subsequent surgeries, then it gets him through it. But honestly? I don't see myself falling for anyone else. Liam is it for me Daddy, and he wouldn't have asked me that question if I wasn't it for him."

"You realize that I'm going to have to start treating him as a future son-in-law now, right? Kid gloves are coming off." Mark teases his daughter.

"Just wait until he gets out of the hospital this time before you contemplate putting him back in again."

* * *

Looking out the window of his room door, Michael sees that the coast is clear before opening the door and peeking out, glancing up and down the hallway. Thankful that his moms are doctors, he's changed out of his hospital gown and into a pair of basketball shorts and a USNA summer seminar t-shirt and is dragging his IV alongside him. He was sorely tempted to take the tubing out, but he knew from experience of passing out after donating blood how important it is to replace you vascular volume after a donation and he knows that donating marrow is slightly different and more serious than donating a pint of blood; he needs to keep the IV in.

Quickly gaining his bearings, he realizes that he's been placed on the opposite side of the surgical wing from his brother and he quickly begins to make his way toward his family. Spotting Erin approaching from down the hall, he quickly ducks into a nearby on call room, too worried about being spotted by his aunt to check and see if the room is occupied. Seeing Erin go into the room across the hall, he decides to wait out his aunt in that room and turns, surprised to see a girl curled up on one of the beds.

Granted, he's been gone since Christmas, but he's fairly certain he doesn't recognize her as a doctor's child. Something about her posture strikes a nerve in him that he recognizes from his own experience – she's got a family member in the hospital, and it's not good.

"Hey," he keeps his tone soft, making his way across the tiny room, silently asking if he can sit on the same bed as her, doing so when he gets a soft nod of acquiescence. "I'm Michael."

"Ryleigh. Are you a patient?"

"No… well, yes… sort of." Ryleigh gives a small half smile at Michael's indecision and he's struck dumb for a minute at the vast change in her face at the tiny gesture. From then, he decides to try and get her to smile – really smile.

"My brother is a patient. He's got an infection that's attacking his heart and it needs to be cleared up before the doctors can go in and repair the damage that it caused. So I just donated marrow so the stem cells could be used to speed up the process because he's not responding to the antibiotics as fast as they'd like. Why are you here?"

"My mom had a stroke. The doctors say that they caught it in time, she's having some sort of procedure done now."

"The doctors have to go in and remove the clot that caused the stroke. It's a simple procedure. Do you know who your mom's doctor is?"

"Umm, I think her name was Dr. Grey."

"On the young side, mid-forties, light brown hair, green eyes?" Ryleigh nods a yes. "Yeah, that's Meredith. She's solid, your mom is in good hands."

"You know her?"

"She's my godmother, and she was my surgeon ten years ago when she was a brand new neuro-surgical attending."

"Why did you need surgery?" While Ryleigh still has her arms wrapped around her knees, she's no longer burying her face in her hands, instead she rests her chin on her knees. Wincing slightly at the movement, Michael shifts back so that his back is resting against the wall and his long legs are draped across the bed, bouncing his lower legs slightly to keep the blood flowing.

"I was in a car accident and had a major crush injury to my left leg. She was the one to repair and reattach the nerves. Because of the situation, they couldn't put me under, so the doctors performed the surgery on me when I was awake. Aunt Mere was joking with me and keeping me distracted all while keeping her focus on my leg and restoring function to it. That first surgery took almost 12 hours and she joked with me the whole time. Her daughter had just turned one, so she told a lot of stories about Ellis to keep me laughing."

"Sounds like a nice woman."

"Oh yeah, she's awesome." The pair is silent for awhile, during which Michael spots Erin's head of brown curls glide past the window, but he stays where he is. "How old are you?" Michael continues talking, trying to distract her.

"Nineteen."

"Where do you go to school?"

"I'm a youngster – uh, sophomore – at the Naval Academy." She pulls back to display her USNA PT shirt. Michael sits up in interest, wincing at the pain the sharp movement causes in his hips.

"Really? I'm a second classman at the Naval Academy!" Ryleigh lets her knees drop so she's sitting cross-legged on the bed.

"Seriously?" She allows a smile to grace her features. Still not a whole smile, Michael notices, continuing on his quest. "What are you doing this summer?" Michael smiles, knowing that the topic of summer sessions could keep anyone distracted for a good while.

"I'll be spending the first six weeks at The Basic School in Quantico, and then I'll be spending the next six weeks on board a frigate with the Chilean Navy."

"No way? How did you score that? They only give TBS to like, five midshipmen."

"Four, actually. And I'll admit, being a Robbins at the Naval Academy does have its perks." Ryleigh's forehead scrunches up in thought.

"Robbins… isn't there a pair of instructors at the Academy by the name of Robbins?"

"Yeah, my aunt and uncle. She teaches the Plebe UCMJ course and Firstie Maritime Law, he teaches Naval History."

"So they got you in?" There's no judgment in her voice, merely curiosity.

"No, I got in on my own, but being a second-generation Academy man, as well as a – potential – fourth generation Marine didn't hurt my application."

"And the Chilean Navy? It's dang near impossible to get the foreign Navy cruises, you have to be fluent in a way that you often only are if Spanish is your first language."

"My mama is Spanish-Cuban, her family often only speaks Spanish at the dinner table, so it's either learn the language, or remain clueless. It's not my first language, but it could be. Give me a week in Chile and you won't even be able to detect my accent."

"So being bilingual must help you out." She's still giving that little half smile Michael loves.

"Uh, more like multi-lingual… Umm, languages come easy to me."

"So how many do you speak?"

"Fluently? Five… but I can get by comfortably in another four."

"Impressive." The pair is interrupted by the door to the room slamming open, and Erin fills the doorway. Michael merely smiles sheepishly, but not the slightest bit remorseful at being spotted out of his bed.

"Hey, Aunt Erin, how's it going?"

"Would you care to explain to me what you're doing out of bed, young man?"

"Well, I was going to head over to the Cardiac wing to sit with the others, but I got distracted by this lovely lady here," he motions to Ryleigh, giving him the patented Robbins charm smile – even though he's technically neither a Robbins nor a Torres – causing her to momentarily duck her head to hide her blush. Erin merely rolls her eyes at her nephew, after all, she was one of the originals to use that charm, and points to the ground in front of her.

"Here, now, get in the wheelchair."

"The invisible one?" Michael jokes with her, prompting her to retrieve the wheelchair that she had stored in the hallway just outside the room.

"No, this one. Now get in."

"Aww, do I have to?" He whines, playfully, snuggling deeper into the bed. "I don't wanna! I'm comfortable here."

"You and I both know those mattresses are as hard as a rock. Now get over here or I'm going to have Dr. Avery accidentally misplace your discharge papers and have you stay overnight." It's an empty threat, they both know that, but still, Michael jumps to his feet as quickly as he can manage and makes his way to the door. Just before sitting down, he grabs a pen from Erin's pocket and makes his way back to the bed, taking Ryleigh's hand and scribbling his number into it.

"In case you freak out again, give me a call." He smiles at her broadly, garnering one in return from the young woman before making his way back to the door and sitting in the wheelchair. Erin smacks his head lightly as they leave, his exclamation of indignation prompting a chuckle from Ryleigh.


	9. Chapter 9

Summary: It's fifteen years later. Liam is admitted to Seattle Grace-Mercy West after collapsing during a baseball game.

Disclaimer: All television shows, books, movies, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

What is this folks? I disable my anonymous reviews and ya'll stop reviewing? I won't hate you just cause you don't like what I have to say!

* * *

"Now you have an idea of what I went through." Carlos hobbles up to his oldest daughter who's pretending to read a medical journal while waiting for news on Liam.

"Excuse me?" Callie welcomes the distraction; you can only pretend to read the same article for so long.

"All those times your mother or I had to take you to the hospital when you were younger. Granted, I'd rather you not have to feel that pain, but now you know why we were often so careful around you."

"Dad, I regularly broke my limbs, I never contracted an infection that proceeded to destroy my heart prompting open heart surgery."

"True, but we still knew worry when it came to our children."

"I'm sorry that I ever put you through all that."

"Ah, mija, it's part of being a parent. I'd have been worried if you hadn't spent an extended amount of time in the hospital as a parent." Callie smiles broadly at her father before changing the subject slightly.

"Yes, but I do get to spend plenty of time in the hospital as a daughter. How are you holding up? The flight couldn't have been good for you." Carlos had recently been diagnosed with ALS, though the disease seemed to be taking it's time in progressing through his body. A year after the diagnosis and he still only needed a cane to walk around.

"Eh," Carlos waves off his daughter's concern. "I'm alright. My grandson is more important to me, and if something does go wrong… well, we are in a hospital, are we not?" Callie grins, leaning into her father, allowing him to wrap an arm around her in comfort.

* * *

From across the waiting room, Arizona smiles at her wife and father-in-law, remembering the time when the two weren't on speaking terms. Fortunately Callie fell in love with a very charming woman that no one can resist. She's brought out of her musings by a nudge to her shoulder and looks up to see her father standing beside her, leaning into him when he wraps an arm around her shoulder.

"Have you heard anything?"

"I just peeked in. They've finished the transfusion, now it's just a waiting game." Callie looks up briefly, meeting her gaze and smiling softly before returning her attention to whatever her father is saying.

"And how long until we hear whether or not it's working?" Dan brings her back to their conversation. Arizona takes a deep pull from her coffee before responding.

"We should have an idea of how it's going in a couple hours."

* * *

The next day the whole clan was waiting on Erica and Alex to come in and tell them if Liam would be going into surgery that afternoon.

Callie and Arizona were on Liam's left, Arizona holding his hand and Callie holding hers. They both looked nervous but confident that this was going to work.

Lauren was on Liam's right, his state baseball championship ring resting on her left ring finger with an ample amount of tape around the bottom to keep it in place. She hadn't slept more than an hour at a time for the last 36 hours, she had been up when every nurse and doctor had come in to check his vitals or give him meds.

Carter and Josh were at the far end of the room, both sharing an oversized chair Arizona had brought in. Carter was clinging to Josh, knowing that if this didn't work her twin was in much tougher shape. Josh had his arm around her, used to being around the adults but not as her boyfriend. Michael was to their left, keeping an eye on Josh's hand as it rubbed the back of Carter's leg.

Carlos and Andromeda sat in chairs next to Daniel and Kerry. All four grandparents looked worried and nervous. At some point at least one of their children was hurt enough to be in serious condition and they knew the worry their children were going through.

Erin, Jamie, Matt, Mac, Aria and Jesse all stood by the window, trying to will time to go faster. Liam, Carter and Michael all might as well be their kids, too.

Mark and Lexie were there too, sitting behind Lauren. Lexie was on Mark's lap, looking near dead as she just got off a near 48 hour shift from the deepest levels of hell.

Erica and Alex walked in the room at 10 to 10. "It looks like you will be in my OR at 3 PM this afternoon." Erica said, looking at Liam.

"It worked?" He smiled, looking over at Lauren and giving her the biggest smile he could. "See, babe I told you." He whispered to his crying girlfriend.

Lauren stood and hugged him, careful not to hit any tubes or leads. "Thank you for getting better." She whispered, kissing his cheek softly before sitting back down.

Callie, Arizona, Mark, Lexie and Erin all had questions but they were the technical things that most of the other people in the room didn't need or really care to know. Liam was going to be alright and that's all that mattered.

* * *

After Liam had been taken to surgery Michael made his way to his mama's office with a basket he had managed to bring in with no one seeing. He set everything up before changing into a pair of jeans and a tight black t-shirt.

Ryleigh cracked open the door and saw Michael inside. "When you asked me to have lunch with you I thought we'd be eating in the cafeteria." She looked at the flameless candles he had placed around the room, the small table with a nice table cloth over it and the two chairs across from each other.

"Well I wanted our first date to be a little nicer than that." He pulled her chair out for her before taking his seat. He pulled two plates out of the basket, both with homemade cheeseburgers roasted potatoes and green beans. "I got my friend to bring the food in, I can cook, too, but I haven't been able to get away to."

Ryleigh blushed a little at the effort that Michael was putting into this. "Well I have to say this is one of the nicest things ever done for me." She bent over the table and kissed him on the cheek. "You are a good man Michael, even if you want to be a Marine." She teased, causing Michael to give her a shy grin.

* * *

Carter lay on a hospital bed in an empty room with Josh. Her face was against his chest, his heart beat keeping her calm.

"He's going to be alright, right?" Carter asked, needing to hear Josh tell her so.

"He's going to be back playing baseball before you know it." Josh said, scared for himself and her. Yeah he got that because he was Carter's twin she was scared to death but Liam was also his best friend. "He will get better, if only so he can keep making out with Lauren."

Carter laughed softly, kissing his jaw before looking into his eyes. "You know I really like you right?"

"As long as you know I really like you, too." Josh gave her a slightly lopsided grin. "He's going to be alright baby. I bet we'll be sharing a limo with him and Lauren in a few months for prom."

"You want to go to prom with me?" She grinned, she figured they would go together but he hadn't asked yet.

Josh just laughed and kissed her. He knew her well enough to know that he now had to ask her. "Lauren, will you go to prom with me?"

"I'll check my calendar and get back to you." She giggled.

* * *

Carlos, Andromeda, Kerry and Daniel sat in the waiting room, knowing that doing anything else would do no good.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" Daniel asked the group. "Feels like 100 years ago and it hasn't even been 20."

"Our girls, they love each other." Andromeda said softly. "They will be together when they are our ages, God willing."

"They are good for each other, balance each other out." Kerry agreed.

"I have never been so happy to have been wrong." Carlos said softly. "Arizona has given Callie everything I could have asked her to."

Daniel stood and got four drinks out of the vending machines. He passed them all out before opening his. "To our girls, may they be blessed with marriages as long as ours."

Everyone happily opened their drinks and drank to that.

* * *

Erin, Aria, Mac, Jamie, Jesse and Matt were all in Arizona's office, needing a place they could veg out without having to be too far away.

"He drinks bad water and ends up with a heart problem." Mac said, her head against Matt's shoulder. "It doesn't seem fair."

"He'll be alright though." Erin said, sitting in Jamie's lap. "He's got some of the best hands in the country in his chest right now."

"I just want him to be healthy again. I know he wants to play pro ball but I want my nephew healthy." Aria said softly, leaning against her husband.

"He will be." Jesse whispered, kissing his wife's head. "He is strong like all the Torres's are. Like both his mother's are."

"All we can do right now is wait." Matt said, holding Mac's hand in his lap.

"Just wait and hope that his heart is strong enough." Jamie said from behind Erin. The six of them were more like siblings than in laws now. They had spent the last 17 years as friends and that bond only grew with time.

Erin looked up. "Danny if you can hear me, please keep Liam safe. I know you are up there and I know you can help. Please, big brother." She whispered, a tear in her eye.

"Amen." All six whispered together.

* * *

Liam made it though, Erica couldn't have asked for an easier time in the OR. The moment Liam woke up in recovery, a surprisingly short time, he asked for Lauren.

Lauren walked into the small recovery area were Liam was. "Hi." She whispered, tears falling when she saw him.

"Hey babe." Liam whispered, his eyes locking with hers. "Come here." He slowly lifted his hand so she could take it.

Lauren walked to the other side, were the tubes and cords weren't and rested her head on his shoulder for a moment. "You can't ever do this to me again."

"Promise." Liam whispered, turning his head and kissing her cheek.

"You know I meant my answer, Liam. When the time comes I really want to marry you." She whispered, stroking his jaw softly. "I wasn't just saying it so you'd live."

"Yeah?" Liam asked, a tear in his eyes. "Good, because I wasn't just asking to have something to live for."

"I love you, Liam Daniel Robbins-Torres."

"I love you, Lauren Molly Sloan."

* * *

Hours passed and Liam was placed back in his room, all the family there and in the seats that had been taken up in past days.

Arizona excused herself and walked to her office, needing a moment to take in all that has happened since that ambulance pulled up to the hospital. Tears had just started to fall when she felt a pair of strong arms around her. She turned, knowing the moment they were on her who they belonged too.

"He made it, Calliope." Arizona cried into her wife's chest. "Our little boy made it."

"I know, Arizona." Callie whispered, holding her as tight as she could without hurting her. "He is going to be fine in no time. He is a fighter like us."

"They are never allowed to scare us like that again." Arizona muttered, her flow of tears slowing at the feeling of Callie's arms keeping her safe. "Calliope?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

Fin.

Up next... all those little moments that don't fit into one of the stories. Visits to Addison, announcing the pregnancy, baby's firsts... it's all coming!


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